BAM. CERD AMIDA: II 
of nasal groove. No rictal bristles. Tongue long, extremely thin, divided at tip, but without 
any bristles. Wing long, much rounded; fourth, fifth and sixth primaries longest, third but a 
little shorter; second about equal to eighth; first primary considerably shorter than half of the 
second, Secondaries broad, about four-fifths of the length of the wing. Tail nearly square, the 
outermost rectrix being scarcely 2-3 mm, shorter than the longest, somewhat less than two- 
thirds of the wing; rectrices rather broad, soft, rounded at tip with the shafts not stiffened. 
Under tail coverts very long, covering two-thirds of the tail. Tarsus slender, about as long as 
middle toe with claw; acrotarsium covered in front with a single long lamina; middle toe 
slightly longer than outer toe, inner toe much shorter than the outer one; claws slender, 
much compressed, strongly arched; hallux about as long as inner toe, but much stouter; 
its claw fully as long as the digit, and stronger than the other claws. 
Wing 95-105, tail 55-65, tarsus 20-22, bill 27-33 mm. 
Coloration. Plumage soft and copious. Double (a complete autumn- and a partial 
spring) moult. In breeding plumage : head above and back clear ashy grey, upper tail coverts 
darker, more slate grey. Wings blackish; first primary uniform; second, third, fourth and fifth, 
sometimes also the sixth, with two large white spots on the inner web; secondaries and 
primaries following the third with basal half of outer web beautiful carmine-red. Upper wing 
coverts blackish with wide carmine-red edges. Tail feathers black, the two outer ones with long 
white, the remaining with ashy grey tips. Cheeks, ear coverts, throat and foreneck black, rest 
of lower surface slate grey, under tail coverts with slight white ends. In winter plumage the 
cheeks, ear coverts, throat and foreneck are white, the breast and abdomen paler grey, and 
the pileum washed with pale brownish. Sexes alike, but female generally smaller, 
Geographical Distribution. Alpine districts of Central and South Europe (Alpes, 
Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, Apennins, Carpathians, Balkan), Palaeartic Asia (Caucasus, North 
Persia, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Tibet, Mongolia) and Himalaya Range (as far east as Bhutan). 
Said to breed also in North Africa (Atlas and Abyssinia). 
Habits and Nidification. The single species of the genus exclusively inhabits high 
mountains, where it climbs up on the cliffs and rocks. The nest, placed in crevices of rocks, is 
a bulky structure of moss, grass and other soft materials and contains three eggs which are 
oval-shaped, dull or slightly glossy white with small, brownish red freckles, chiefly round the 
larger end, and some secondary shell-marks of bluish grey. 
1. Tichodroma muraria (Linnzus). (Plate, Fig. 5.) 
Certhia muraria Linneus. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, Vol. 1, p. 184 (1766) (South Europe). 
Metacilla (Japsu) longirostra Gmelin, Reise Russ]. Vol. 3, p. 100, pl 19, f. 2 (1774) (Mountains of Persia). 
Tichodroma alpina C, L. Koch, Syst. Baier. Zool. p. 80 (1816) (« Hochgebirge »). 
Tichodroma phoenicoptera Temminck, Man. d’Ornith. ed. 2, Vol. 1, p. 412 (1820) (new name for Certhia muraria). 
Tichodroma europaea Stephens in Shaw, Gen. Zool. Vol. 14, 1, p. 187 (1826) (new name for Certhia muraria). 
Tichodroma brachyrhynchos Brehm, Handb. Naturg. Vég. Deutschl. p. 213 (1831) (« Alpen Tyrols and Karnthens »). 
Tichodroma macrorhynchos Brehm, ibidem, p. 213 (1831) (« Alpen der Schweiz und Salzburg, wahrscheinlich nicht 
in Tyrol »). 
Tichodvoma phoenicoptera ? var. subhemalayana Hodgson in Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 82 (1844) (nom. nud.). 
Tiehodroma nepalensts Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Avium, Vol. 1, p. 225 (1850) (« ex Asia centr. »). 
Tichodroma hoffmeisteri Reichenbach, Handb, Ornith. Scansoriz, p. 271 (1853) (Namgiah in India), 
Tichodroma media Brehm, Vorrelfang, p. 77 (1855) (« Tyrol und Karnthen bei Salzburg u. s. w. »). 
Tichodroma muralis David & Oustalet, Ois. Chine, p. 88 (1877) (ex Brisson). 
Fig. Dresser, Birds Eur. Vol. 3, pl. 123. 
Hab. ‘The same as that of the genus. 
